Gingerbread art

Felt the need to finish this by November this year, and I just love to create in my spare time. Here is the progression. If you want to come visit to see the completed project I would love to share it!!!

Ginger Bread House Art

By Nan French and Heather Schauers

1. Choose the place your gingerbread house will be. This will determine size, shape and movability.
2. Make your blueprint: panels should be no bigger than an 8 X 12 paper to avoid breaking (except for eaves which may be wider) and to give you a good miniature scale. Use cardstock to make pattern, and wrap in foil to avoid sticking to the gingerbread.
3. Label each pattern piece and note how many copies you need for each piece. Make a master list and check off what you have completed. Measure everything ahead.
4. The front and back of the house should be the same except for windows, no windows in back panels. You may want to cut a hole big enough for an electrical plug to go through on one of the back panels for the lights.
5. Make windows large so you can see in but at least one inch or more of gingerbread between window and the edges.
6. Don’t double the gingerbread batch, its hard to form the dough otherwise. Make one batch at a time; only need to flour the rolling pin not the counter.
7. Line your counter with wax paper for rolling out dough. Make sure dough is of even thickness, use a toothpick or pin to measure. Always cut the largest pieces first. Use a sharp pairing knife to cut the pieces. Slide the wax paper with gingerbread cuts onto the back of a backing sheet.
8. Make sure it’s baked enough, should be darker brown. 350 degrees for at least 12 minutes or more. Undercooked gingerbread breaks easily!
9. Trim pieces to fit pattern as soon as the gingerbread comes out of the oven. It will not fit together right if you don’t. 
10. Cut doors separate and use frosting to attach them later.
11. To make stain glass windows: Put crushed clear hard candy (like jolly ranchers) in window opening for half of baking. Let harden before removing wax paper from back. Try not to get candy on gingerbread, it stains.
12. If you need to cut the gingerbread after it hardens, a large slicer bread knife (serrated) works well.
13. Let gingerbread sit out and harden for a day or two before assembling it. Decorate your panels before assembling the house, 
14. Draw lines on board or mark where you will place the walls, square them up. Use cans and glass bottles to hold pieces upright. Be careful with icing blobs of icing will harden and make placing furniture and joining panels difficult.
15. Use ROYAL ICING (recipe below) only for gluing walls. Other frosting and even glue does not work. You can put cinnamon in a batch of frosting to make it gingerbread colored if you prefer that for between panels. Pure white for anything that is snow, but be careful not to smear or drip white on gingerbread it also stains white.
16. For the roof and between floors (if it is two story) use white sheet Styrofoam or cardboard. 
17. “Snow” covers a multitude of errors. Don’t get too worried about mistakes, have fun!
18. Use packaging tape to mount the lights

Gingerbread recipe

½ cup Crisco

½ cup brown sugar

2/3 cup kyro syrup

2 eggs

 4 cups all purpose white flour

½  tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground allspice or pumpkin pie spice

½ tsp cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

1 ½ tsp ginger

In a large bowl, cream together crisco, sugar, kyro syrup, eggs. Combine 1 cup flour separate and add baking soda, salt, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, mix together and beat into egg mixture. Gradually stir in reaming flour by hand to form a stiff dough. On wax surface, with floured rolling pin, roll dough ¼ inch and cut into desired patterns. Slide wax paper onto back of baking sheet. Bake 12 min (or until darker brown) at 350 degrees. Trim pieces immediately to fit pattern when done. Allow to cool before moving.

Royal icing

2 lbs confectioner sugar

6 egg whites

1 tsp cream of tarter

Beat with electric mixer 5 minutes or until stiff. Put in piping bag or frost immediately. Cover extra and store in fridge. Don’t try to store it longer than 7 days, it loses integrity.